By allowing ads to appear on this site, you support the local businesses who, in turn, support great journalism.
Panther girls win 5A Valley Center track title
Track & field qualifiers set for May 27 competition
spt_MC_Eliana Beckham hands to 2nd leg Olivia Rugan in 4x8.jpg
Great Bend runner Eliana Beckham hands to 2nd leg Olivia Rugan in 3,200m relay. - photo by Mike Courson

jmisunas@gbtribune.com

VALLEY CENTER – Double distance champion Emilia Diaz sparked the Great Bend Panthers to 18 state qualifiers and the 5A regional track championship (143.83). It marked the Panthers' seventh consecutive team title and first regional team championship since 2008.

The Panther girls won five events. Panther first-place finishers were Makenzie Premer, 300-meter hurdles (47.62); Emilia Diaz, 1,600 (5:25.37) and 3,200 (11:58.38); Taryn Warren, shot put (38-0); and Macy Nachtigal, javelin (122-9).

Runner-up state qualifiers featured Makenzie Premer, 100-meter hurdles (15.94); Sadie Spray, 300-meter hurdles (48.45); Emma Loomis, 800 (2:27.49); and the Panthers' 1,600 relay (4:11.37) with Eliana Beckham, Sadie Spray, Daizy Gomez, Makenzie Premer; and the 3,200-meter relay (10:16.78) with Eliana Beckham, Olivia Rugan, Hannah Loomis and Emma Loomis.

Other state-qualifiers featured third-place finishers Eliana Beckham, 800 (2:28.0); Lexi Deines, pole vault (9-6); Taryn Warren, discus (116-4); Daizy Gomez, 400 (1:03.29); Candice Smith, high jump (5-2); Kyndall Blessing, javelin (110-0); and fourth-place qualifiers Sadie Spray, 100 hurdles (16.36) and Addy Nicholson, 3,200 (12:16.92).

GREAT BEND BOYS – Standout Kaiden Esfeld enjoyed a perfect day as he qualified for four 5A state events with first-place finishes in the 800 (2:03.31) and 1,600 (4:29.16); a runner-up in the 3,200 (9:59.17) and a relay leg on the fourth-place 3,200-meter relay (10:20.21) with Jaime Arellanes, Matthew Huslig, and Kaden Deines.

The Panther boys qualified for 5A state in nine events. The Panthers captured the 1,600-meter relay (3:32.01) with Oliver Dominguez, Braylon Council, Madison Regehr and Jaime Arellanes.

Other state qualifiers include third-place finisher Madison Regehr, 110-meter hurdles (17.0) and fourth-place finishers Cayden Scheuerman, 200 (23.76); Oliver Dominguez,  triple jump (43-6); and Mathew Moeder, javelin (141-1).

Scheuerman was the biggest surprise qualifier after entering the 200-meter finals with the eighth-best qualifying time.

5A VALLEY CENTER REGIONAL

GIRLS TEAM SCORES—1—Great Bend, 143.83; 2—Valley Center, 94; 3—Topeka West, 88; 4—Newton, 60;  5—Salina Central, 57;  6—Hays High, 56.5;  7—Emporia 30;  8—Salina South, 28.67 

GIRLS RESULTS

100m—1—Reed, TW, 12.23; 5—Valarie Luna, 13.0

100m hurdles—1—Eldridge, VC, 15.58; 2—Makenzie Premer, 15.94 (PR); 4—Sadie Spray, 16.36

200m—1—Brooks, TW, 26.43

300m hurdles—1—Makenzie Premer, GB, 47.62; 2—Sadie Spray, 48.45

400m—1—Reed, TW, 59.97; 3—Daizy Gomez, 1:03.29 (PR)

800m—1—Hoddy, VC, 2:22.74; 2—Emma Loomis, 2:27.49 (PR); 3—Eliana Beckham, 2:28.0 (PR); 9—Hannah Loomis, 2:43.23

1,600m—1—Emilia Diaz, 5:25.37 (PR)

3,200m—1—Diaz, GB, 11:58.38; 4—Addy Nicholson, 12:16.92 (PR)

400m relay—1—Topeka West, 50.41

1,600m relay—1—Salina Central, 4:10.58; 2—Great Bend, 4:11.37 (Eliana Beckham, Sadie Spray, Daizy Gomez, Makenzie Premer)

3,200m relay—1—Valley Center, 9:59.9; 2—Great Bend, 10:16.78 (Eliana Beckham, Olivia Rugan, Hannah Loomis, Emma Loomis)

High jump—1—Regier, Newton, 5-4; 3—Candice Smith, 5-2 (PR); 6—Luna, 5-0

Long jump—1—Green, Hays, 17-41/2; 6—Candice Smith, 15-61/2; 20—Daizy Gomez, 13-21/2

Triple jump—1—Loewen, Newton, 37-8; 6—Candice Smith, 33-5; 9—Premer, 31-8 

Shot put—1—Taryn Warren, 38-0; 10—Rylie Duvall, 29-0

Discus—1—Wilkerson, TW, 119-1; 3—Taryn Warren, 116-4

Javelin—1—Macy Nachtigal, GB, 122-9; 3—Kyndall Blessing, 110-0 (PR); 6—Warren, 99-2

Pole vault—1—Phillips, VC, 9-6; 3—Lexi Deines, 9-6 (PR); 6—Katie Kuhlman, 8-0; 15—Sierra Ferguson, 7-0

5A VALLEY CENTER REGIONAL

BOYS TEAM SCORES—1—Hays High, 147; 2—Newton, 112; 3—Emporia, 90;  4—Great Bend, 71;  5—Salina South, 40;  6—Salina Central, 35;  7—Valley Center, 29;  8—Highland Park, 20; 9—Topeka West, 11 

BOYS  RESULTS

100m—1—Kanak, Hays, 10.54; 8—Braylon Council, 11.52

110m hurdles—1—Obermeyer, E, 15.64; 3—Madison Regehr, 17.0 (PR)

200m—1—Kanak, Hays, 22.49; 4—Cayden Scheuerman, 23.76 (PR)

300m hurdles—1—Ekerberg, Newton, 41.78; 6—Madison Regehr, 44.96

400m—1—Wilson, VC, 51.81; 2—Oliver Dominguez, 51.94

800m—1—Kaiden Esfeld, GB, 2:03.31; 5—Jaime Arellanes, 2:06.09

1,600m—1—Esfeld, GB, 4:29.16 (PR)

3,200m—1—True, Emporia, 9:58.05; 2—Esfeld, 9:59.17

400m relay—1—Hays, 43.28

1,600m relay—1—Great Bend, 3:32.01 (PR) (Oliver Dominguez, Braylon Council, Madison Regehr, Jaime Arellanes)

3,200m relay—1—Newton, 8:36.47; 4—Great Bend, 10:20.21 (Jaime Arellanes, Matthew Huslig, Kaden Deines, Kaiden Esfeld)

High jump—1—Dale, Hays, 6-5

Long jump—1—Kanak, Hays, 21-81/2; 10—Braylon Council, 18-71/2; 11—Leon Trey-Fields, 18-5; 17—Austin Miller, 15-9

Triple jump—1—Richardson, HP, 45-5; 4—Oliver Dominguez, 42-6

Shot put—1—Haselhorst, Hays, 53-10; 10—Greg Somers, 41-4

Discus—1—Adams, Hays, 174-1

Javelin—1—Mick, Newton, 163-7; 4—Mathew Moeder, 141-1; 9—Evan Wedel, 123-4

Pole vault—1—Veach, Hays, 12-0; 9—Jonathan Ruiz, 9-6